Makeup wise a good zombie needs to look organic
It shouldn't look "made up"
It skin should be leathery and dirty, like it just climbed out of a grave or something. Real dirt and moss grass cobwebs should be employed as much as possible

wounds can look fresh for effect but remember that zombies are the reanimated dead so an even more effective look is body cavity exposure. Any way to show depth will help

teeth need to be distressed as well as hair matted and mudded. Hair gel can be employed with "zombie dust" mixed in
Contacts are expensive but are effective (and dangerous)

A good actor makes a good zombie, I have seen plenty of bad actors in great make-ups and it is not worth the effort.
Im not sure as to the purpose of this poll but a few of your answers do not make any sense.
"what makes a good zombie?"
"outdoor home yard haunting" as an answer??????
Also If someone is not in shape then I would reccommend a zombie as the movement is not as taxing as a faster more animated creature.
Slow moving zombies can be scary as long as they have good timing, Playing a zombie is all about training the audience to think you move at a certain speed and they moving a bit faster right when they think they can get away.
Zombies are great for atmosphere, they have great potential to look awesome and be great comic relief. On the flip side of that they can be truly frightening, The guests are in a room headed twords the exit then zombies appear and start shuffling towards them from the sides, then the lights go out the only light is coming from the exit door. By changing the lighting you have allowed the zombies to change their timing.
Allen H

Since we sell a lot of zombie costumes, I would have to put that near the top ;-)

Movement is just as important, though, and in the "what not to do" category: Actors should remember that zombies don't have to make noise! If an actor can't get a good zombie sound down, then it's much better to keep silent and rely on good movement. Like my mom always said - "if you can't say something scary, don't say anything at all" - which actually goes for ANY character. Nothing ruins a perfect costume and makeup job like a lame monster voice.

I Agree understaning human anatomy is important to making a good zombe especially when It comes down to the makeup, It's Important to know What is beneath the surface so you can make that appear on the front and make the muscles or wounds look good. Having Your Brains available though is the most important to be a good zombie. HAhA

What makes a good zombie depends on where the zombie is as far as makeup goes. If the zombie is in good lighting then the makeup job needs to look good. If the zombie is in really low lighting then the makeup does not have the be the best. No since on doing the best most realistice makeup job if it can not be seen. As fast moving zombies have there time and place so do slow moving zombie. They can be play to there full effect in the right spots.
And the most important thing to making a good zombie is the actor. If the actor can not make it believable then you may be wasting time on any makeup job you do. And that is true for any charactor.

My wife is terrified of zombies. I think zombies have that effect on a lot of people, just like clowns. Remember those folks? It doesn't make a FLYING FORTICATION WTF HE'S DOING, HE'S THERE AND THEY HATE HIM! lol.

So, my thing is, they kind of have a place no matter what. The people that are really going to be effected by most, don't give a flip if the make up is hot or not. They usually curl up into someone's shoulder and say "GTF away from me" lol.

I think Allen's right. Acting is probably the best. I went to a haunt in missourri one time, some small town haunt, you know, black plastic, the whole 9 yards. Well, the zombie room was TIGHT! I mean, I don't know if they did it on purpose, but when 2 or 3 zombies came from the shadows, there was little light holes in the roof / plastic above that had light shining through them. The zombies walked right through the light, then back out, a few times each. I mean, it was perfect. You could barely see them, then BOOM, light lit up the faces. They had decent make up, for the lighting and the movement was nice. slow and drunk, almost no sounds from them. I think i heard one moan and that was it. The rest was the shuffling of the feet.

The little hottie behind me? Yeah, she was so scared, she didn't let go of me until after we were out, and was still holding onto me. Her boyfriend? He was hanging onto his brother haha. That was a great night. When I got home, I had scratches on my belly and sides from where she was grabbing me and my shirt was gapped. She'd pulled my shirt out, stretched it and she tried hanging onto my pants top...I guess because they didn't move a whole lot lol.

My wife is terrified of zombies. I think zombies have that effect on a lot of people, just like clowns. Remember those folks? It doesn't make a FLYING FORTICATION WTF HE'S DOING, HE'S THERE AND THEY HATE HIM! lol.

So, my thing is, they kind of have a place no matter what. The people that are really going to be effected by most, don't give a flip if the make up is hot or not. They usually curl up into someone's shoulder and say "GTF away from me" lol.

I think Allen's right. Acting is probably the best. I went to a haunt in missourri one time, some small town haunt, you know, black plastic, the whole 9 yards. Well, the zombie room was TIGHT! I mean, I don't know if they did it on purpose, but when 2 or 3 zombies came from the shadows, there was little light holes in the roof / plastic above that had light shining through them. The zombies walked right through the light, then back out, a few times each. I mean, it was perfect. You could barely see them, then BOOM, light lit up the faces. They had decent make up, for the lighting and the movement was nice. slow and drunk, almost no sounds from them. I think i heard one moan and that was it. The rest was the shuffling of the feet.

The little hottie behind me? Yeah, she was so scared, she didn't let go of me until after we were out, and was still holding onto me. Her boyfriend? He was hanging onto his brother haha. That was a great night. When I got home, I had scratches on my belly and sides from where she was grabbing me and my shirt was gapped. She'd pulled my shirt out, stretched it and she tried hanging onto my pants top...I guess because they didn't move a whole lot lol.

I just ran an all zombie haunted trail for four weekends. We always had about 40 zombies across 1/2 mile of trail. All slow like classic Romero. Not scary? Don't tell that to all the people screaming and wetting themselves. Ok, so you're right... I'm sure zombies aren't the scariest monster. But they can be VERY creepy. Sometimes creepy is all you need for fans hungering for the horror genre.

What made our best zombies? Costume? Acting skills? Hiding spots? Make up? I'd say none of that alone from what I witnessed in my actors. Our best boiled down to one thing: X-factor. They simply were born with "it" whatever "it" is. We were blessed to have a repeat extra from an ultra-popular zombie TV show which I won't name. He wasn't really an actor. He had no training or experience. He really didn't even need a costume or make-up. He turned on his zombie and woo momma was he instantly creepy - like stay-away-from-me-dude creepy. He just had it. Some of the others did too although not as much as him. It was just build into their natural features, posture, eyes and body energy. I don't think the best zombie is something you can build or train. Which is not to say you CAN'T practice or costume your way to a good zombie. But I'm sure you can develop an eye for spotting it in others... maybe before they even know they have it.

Mr foos- It is acting skill. You call it X factor-but it boils down to knowing how to move- that is acting. will a differently shaped person need to move in a different way to be scary- absolutely. It is acting skill and it can be trained, refined, and honed. A good acting coach or teacher could make your best zombies better and your bad zombies passable.
Allen H